I’ll admit that I wasn’t overly impressed with Saxon’s Inspirations release back in 2021. Viewed as a filler to keep the band moving during the lockdown period, it was solid enough but didn’t exactly set my world on fire. But then, a band like Saxon can do what the hell they want really can’t they? And so, we now get More Inspirations from the band, another collection of songs that provided young Biff Byford, Paul Quinn et al with the fire and passion to do what they’ve been doing for 45 years.
With 23 albums of their own, and their final curtain call closer than ever, maybe it’s natural that the band is reflective of the effects of Father Time; a desire to look back rather than forward perhaps, for the past is more comforting than what lies ahead. With Paul Quinn having decided to hang up his touring boots and hat, this release becomes even more poignant.
It’s an eclectic collection which doesn’t throw up too many surprises in choice. Opening with The Animals’ “We’ve Got To Get Out of This Place”, the mark is set. It’s solid, faithful, and pleasing to the ear. If I never hear “Faith Healer” again it’ll be too soon. I cannot stomach The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, so even the opening bars of their most popular song is like nails down the blackboard. Far better is the high-energy cover of Alice Cooper’s “From the Inside”. One of his best albums in my book, Saxon’s version ramps it up two levels and sees Biff in good form, even if his voice is now finally showing signs of age.
Perhaps the biggest curved ball on More Inspirations is “Chevrolet”, the ZZ Top track from 1972’s Rio Grande Mud. It’s a decent cover, although it is impossible to recreate the inimitable style of Messrs Gibbons, Hill and Beard. Still, this is a tune, and Biff’s husky vocals and the dual guitar work make it smoulder. The Who’s “Substitute” isn’t anything outstanding, but Saxon do bring a chunky version of “Gypsy”, the classic song by recent touring buddies Uriah Heep.
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Taking on anything with Ronnie James Dio singing on is a brave move, but Saxon hit top form for the Rainbow song “Man on the Silver Mountain”. Biff sticks to his own range rather than even attempt to get near Dio’s majestic style, and it works better than expected. Much like the version of “Speed King” on Inspirations, Biff sensibly opts to avoid any attempt to imitate singers who were in their prime over 40 years ago.
A vibrant version of KISS’s “Detroit Rock City” sees Nibbs Carter’s thumping bass line and Nigel Glockler’s drumming bringing a bit of meat to the song. I’m not over enamoured with Biff’s vocals, which I feel are the weak link here, and there’s little of the panache that Ace Frehley’s guitar playing brought to the original. Much better is the crunching “Razamanaz”, the penultimate track on the album. The Nazareth standard is given a real overhaul, with Biff’s performance his best on the album for me. Maybe it’s the huskier tones that echo the late Dan McCafferty that swings it, but whatever it is, the whole band seems on point here and it’s a joyous three-minutes. And that just leaves a corking cover of Cream’s “Tales of Brave Ulysses” which is energetic, powerful and along with a couple of other songs here, makes this an album that’s well worth a listen.
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More Inspirations is out on March 31st
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